


The Greatest Gift of All

by lunarknightz



Category: Firefly, Serenity (2005)
Genre: Birth, Birthday, F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-09-28
Updated: 2016-09-28
Packaged: 2018-08-18 06:31:26
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,130
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8152397
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lunarknightz/pseuds/lunarknightz
Summary: Simon had never had any luck with birthdays, not really.Set after the movie.





	

Simon had never had any luck with birthdays, not really.

The curse had seemed to start when he was seven years old. Simon’s birthday trip to the Osiris zoo ended abruptly when River had ended up smack dab in the middle of an exhibit of tigers from the outer rim, with Simon in tow. River’s little shenanigan resulted in the Tam family spending hours talking with the authorities, doing some rather fancy footwork and maneuvering; the result of which is the cause for the large check the Tams write to the Osiris Zoo every holiday season, to this day. 

Tack on such other misfortunes as Simon’s tenth birthday, which he’d spent in bed, itchy and miserable, due to catching a virulent string of the Chicken Pox, which wouldn’t respond to the old Earth-That-Was remedies. On his twelfth birthday, Simon had broken his arm while riding his grav-bike, and on his sixteenth birthday, his first ever girlfriend, a dainty brunette named Erin, had broken his heart. On his birthday, Simon received the first letter from River that made him think that things weren’t right as rain with his baby sister. On his last birthday, they’d had to evacuate Serenity because of the life support systems failing. 

Simon really had any luck with birthdays, and this year he wasn’t expecting much. He didn’t make any plans, and hoped simply to sleep the day away.

Life is what happens when you’re busy making other plans, or so the old adage goes, and so Simon’s birthday went.

Kaylee woke Simon up with a birthday breakfast- really protein paste arranged to resemble something like pancakes; but her enthusiasm won him over. His wife had that effect on him.

And the day had actually gone smoothly- Serenity was simply gliding through space, as free as a bird. Simon spent the morning playing horseshoes with River in the cargo bay. The crew sang to him over lunch. Mostly to embarrass him, but even though he blushed, Simon liked being included.

It had been a good day, a calm day.

Until Jayne ran into the med bay, where Simon was reading a few new medical journals he’d recently downloaded off the Cortex, yelling like an ape, and seriously damaging Simon’s calm.

“What the hell?” Simon’s head turned towards the mercenary with a jerk. “I can’t understand you when you’re speaking monkey-ese.”

“It’s Kaylee. Water and mess, and hell, Doc, the engine room’s a ruttin mess!”

Jayne’s words sunk into Simon’s head slowly. When he processed the meaning of the mercenary’s words, Simon blanched, his face turning completely white. “Ai ya, wo mun wan leh.” He muttered, running his fingers through his hair. “It’s too early. She’s not due for another couple of weeks. We’re supposed to be docked on an actual planet with an actual hospital! What if something goes wrong? This luh-suh ship isn’t equipped to handle an emergency! That’s my wife and my child in there and if something happens, it’s going to be all my fault because I didn’t force Mal’s arrogant ass to stop on a planet this close to her due date! What in the gorram rutting hell am I going to do?” Simon panicked.

Jayne had left a hurting, sweating, Kaylee behind with an anxious captain, a nervous but capable companion and a flighty, psychic pilot. She needed a doctor. She needed her husband. And Jayne wasn’t about to deny her either. So he reached out and did the one thing he reckoned he could do in such a situation. Jayne slapped Simon across the face, calming down the hysterical doctor.

“What in the hell did you do that for?” Simon cried, astonished.

Jayne shrugged. “It seemed like the thing to do. You’ve got a wife fixin’ to bring your babe into the world, and thing is, she needs you. So get your gorram ass in gear, okay?”

“I hate to say this, but you’re right.” Simon groaned. “Here, hold this will you?” He said, pushing a bag filled with assorted instruments towards Jayne. Simon quickly gathered up a various different supplies he thought he might need, and handed them all to Jayne. “Okay, I’m ready. Let’s go.” Simon announced. He turned to Jayne when they reached the doorway. “Why didn’t you and Mal just bring her to the med bay?”

“Because we reckon our little Kaylee just might follow through on those death threats she’s been mailing if we actually move her. We ain’t that stupid.”

“Oh, I beg to differ.” Simon grunted, following Jayne down Serenity’s hallway.

 

***

 

“She’s beautiful.” Simon said, looking down at his newborn baby daughter. “Just like her Mom. You did wonderful, bao bei.” Simon said, kissing his wife on the cheek. “I love you.”

“Mei-Mei. Peaceful little girl. Easy to read because she’s just seeing the world for the first time. Wide eyes and a brain so big. And a diaper that smells like Jayne’s bunk.” River said from the other side of Kaylee, staring down at her new niece.

“Hey! Since when you been smellin’ my bunk woman?”

“You can’t help but smell it.” River smirked.

“Hey. That’s enough. Let’s keep it quiet for the little one.” Zoe said, standing by River. “Kaylee…Simon…she’s lovely.” Zoe gave her approval of to Serenity’s new arrival. 

“She’s the most beautiful baby girl.” Inara said, rubbing Kaylee’s head. “She’ll be such a beauty when she’s older.”

“Speaking of which.” Mal said, leaning against the doorway. “I’ll need to know what name to enter on the ship’s manifest for our new arrival. Make it all official and like.”

Kaylee and Simon exchanged a look.

“We’ve settled on the name Belle.” 

“Belle Serenity Tam.” Kaylee called to Mal. “That’s her full official name and like.” Kaylee kissed her child’s head, marveling at the dark black curls that covered her head. 

“She has my birthday.” Simon said softly, as this realization hit him by surprise. “It’s my birthday today, and now it’s Belle’s too.”

“I reckon’ you two will be like peas in a pod.” Kaylee grinned. “Almost makes me feel jealous like.”

“We could try…” Simon said softly. “To give her a little brother or sister with your birthday.”

“I so did not need to hear that.” Mal groaned.

“That’s fine.” Kaylee growled. “If you wanna be the one to squeeze the little one out of your hindquarters next time.”

Simon gulped. “Maybe we’ll wait a little while.”

Kaylee nodded. “That sounds like a good idea to me.”

Simon chuckled and gazed down lovingly at his baby daughter. This birthday had definitely been way above par. In fact, this was his best birthday ever. He’d gotten the greatest gift of all- a daughter, his daughter- Belle. 

 

Translations:

Ai ya, wo mun wan leh- We’re in big trouble.  
Luh-suh- garbage

**Author's Note:**

> Originally written in December 2005 as a birthday gift for Icalynn.


End file.
